Prosecutors are considering additional charges against a man accused of beating up a mentally handicapped man at a Winfield bar earlier this month, Cowley County attorney Chris Smith said.
Michael Whitesell, 25, was arrested and already faces a felony-level assault charge in connection with the March 1 incident at Hot Shotz Bar on W. Eighth. Bar owners said they’ve banned Whitesell from returning to their establishment.
Now, Smith said, his office is reviewing the case and could file additional ? presumably stiffer charges ? soon.
Whitesell told police he struck the victim, Chris Minor, only once outside the bar following a minor dispute over a pool game. But Minor’s injuries ? which include compressed discs in his neck, broken bones in his face and what appear to be kick marks on his face ? convinced police and Minor’s family that more than a single punch was thrown.
Minor lost consciousness and was in a Wichita hospital for two days. He told NewsCow that he was outside the bar minding his own business and looking for his brother when he was attacked.
Whitesell, he says, struck him once and knocked him down. Minor got up and was struck again, repeatedly, according to his account of the incident. He said he never touched Whitesell.
"Next thing I know I woke up in the back of an ambulance," he said. "But I’m proud of myself for getting up from that first punch."
The incident seemed to start after a run in involving a pool game, Minor said. Whitesell was playing on a table at the bar and left balls racked on the table. Minor thought the table was open and began to play, he left the table when Whitesell confronted him.
Minor said he and Whitesell both played a game of pool ? on separate tables ? and had no other words. He’s not sure why the man attacked him outside, he said.
Minor is a resident of Mosaic, a care provider for the mentally disabled. He has problems socializing with others, is mentally handicapped and a threat to no one, his family told NewsCow.
Minor is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds, state criminal records list Whitesell as 6 feet 3 inches tall and 250 pounds.
Family of Minor are pressing for Whitesell to face the most serious charges possible and ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call the county attorney’s office at 221-5485.
Whitesell has bonded out of jail, attempts to contact him were not successful.
